On Saturday MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) reported that fellow lightweights K.J. Noons and Jorge Masvidal were told to remain on standby in case their Japanese counterparts were unable to make it to the U.S.

However, sources close to the organization told MMAjunkie.com the past 24 hours have brought word that Melendez vs. Kawajiri should remain part of the April 9 card.

San Diego’s Valley View Casino Center hosts “Strikeforce: Diaz vs. Daley,” and the event’s main card airs live on Showtime.

Melendez, who recently signed a new multi-year deal with Strikeforce, looks for his fifth straight win under the promotional banner. After losing his title to Josh Thomson in 2008, he defeated Rodrigo Damm for an interim title, defended the belt with a victory over Mitsuhiro Ishida, unified the championships with a lopsided decision victory over Thomson, and then defended his belt this past April with a decision win over Shinya Aoki on CBS.

Kawajiri, a former Shooto champion and longtime PRIDE fighter, makes his Strikeforce debut in the title fight. Long ranked among the world’s top lightweight fighters, Kawajiri has won four of his past five fights. He recently rebounded from a DREAM.15 loss to champ Aoki with a decision victory over Thomson at DREAM “Dynamite!! 2010.”

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